


Switched Stitches

by SilverDragonessQueen



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Depression, Double Date, F/F, F/M, M/M, argument
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-24 09:45:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6149548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverDragonessQueen/pseuds/SilverDragonessQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Feferi and Eridan go to a double date with Aradia and Sollux. They both seem to be perfect couples, understanding their partners completely.<br/>But through a series of events Feferi's bond with Eridan gets weaker, and stronger with Aradia, who later becomes her best friend. Eridan starts distancing himself from everyone and falls into depression, which Feferi can't handle anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dinner Date

**Author's Note:**

> A little something I've been planning to write for a while now. I think it won't be very long, but I never know about things like these. :P  
> I should be updating regularly, force myself to write at least once a weak, because I hate when I leave something undone.
> 
> Anyways, hope you like it!  
> Comment if you would like to read more of it, positive feedback always makes me write more :)

„Eridan! Are you ready?“ Feferi called while looking at herself in the mirror. She was applying more eyeliner around her bright big eyes. She already had metal pink lipstick on her soft lips, her ears were already decorated with pearl earrings. Her hair was tied in a high pony tail, one lock freely levitating around her face. She was still in her white, laced bra, and skin-colored stockings.  
A male figure appeared on the doors of the bathroom, trying to button up a dark violet shirt. The sleeves were still loosely hanging from his arms. There was a tie around his neck, still untied. He had a number of rings on his fingers, all golden, but no big details on them. His nails were painted black. Feferi was the one that would make him try out new stuff, this week it was nail polish, one that is flashy, visible, but stylish. A lock of his dark hair was dyed purple, another Feferi’s idea which he first protested, then accepted because it suited him pretty well, made him stand out in the crowd.

“Yeah… Getting’ there. Why do we need to go anyways? I don’t even know these people”, he finally managed to button his shirt. Feferi was done with her make-up and quickly popped with her lips to mark a job well done. She glanced at Eridan, put her hands on her wide hips and smiled.

“Don’t worry, they’re great. And new to the town, so I offered to take them out for dinner, to get to know them better. And to give them an opportunity to settle in”, she took his tie in her hands and started working on the knot.

“You don’t have to do this, you know? At least don’t drag me into it.”

“But now it’s a double date! And the more people, the merrier”, she finished the knot and looked at him. She was a lot shorter than him, almost by ten inches.

“Fef… I would’ve been fine with s only you and me”, he sighed and took her hands into his. She gave him a small smile, then pressed her lips quickly on his.

“I know you don’t like hanging out with my colleagues, but you should also meet some new people. Don’t worry, I’ll sit right next to you, hold your hand if I need to”, she chuckled, rushing to the bedroom and getting into the closet. She started picking out clothes by loudly moving the dressers on the hangers.

“You’re so cruel”, he pouted while tying his belt. He went into the bedroom and took the jacket that was lying on the king-sized bed. He looked at himself in the mirror then noticed a smudge over his lips. Metallic pink.

“You need to stop kissing me with your lipstick on!” he went into the bathroom to take care of it, taking a tissue from the box and then rubbing it against the stain.

Feferi finally found the dress she was looking for. The one that reaches to her knees, and has no sleeves. It is fuchsia pink, fitting the lipstick perfectly. The fabric was wrapping around her curvy body perfectly, emphasizing her wide hips and nice cleavage. She went to the bathroom, took a golden necklace out of the jewelry box. Eridan was just finishing up with cleaning his face, so he noticed she was having troubles with putting the last piece on. He took the ends of the necklace in his hands, and carefully put it around her neck. She was watching him carefully through the whole process, his gentle hands fidgeting against her skin, his eyes almost closed like he did it effortlessly. She couldn’t hide her smile.

“You look lovely”, he said, giving her a long kiss on her temple while gently holding her shoulders. He could see her blushing, laying her hand against his.

“And you look handsome, my prince”, she said, turning around to him. He grabbed her around her waist, pulled her close to a hug. She was standing on her toes, looking at his dark eyes hidden behind a pair of black glasses. Her glance was full of compassion and care, he knew that. She just filled up the whole house with her energy, her laughter, her love. Everything seemed much happier with her here, she would always see the joy in everything. She would love the storm because of the rain.  
He wanted to stay here in this house, curled up in the bed next to her. He wanted to hug her, murmur whispers to her ear, make her laugh. But alas, he couldn’t even kiss her.  
Because she would get lipstick on him.

“I need to get my shoes and we can get on our way. I suppose you will drive?” she asked, going into the hallway, not waiting for the answer. She knew his answer very well. No matter how much he loved everything about her, and how he thought she was perfect in every way, she was horrible at driving. And he would rather drive than risk his head. So he grabbed the keys of the car, put them into the pocket of his pants, and waited for her by the door. She quickly came, holding a small black clutch in her hands that matched her black heels.

“Packed everything?” she asked while going through her purse. It is unbelievable how she manages to fit everything in there. A wallet, keys, a pad just in case, and her phone. But then again she does struggle when she starts zipping up the bag. It doesn’t matter to her though. The bag fits perfectly with her attire, no changing now.

***

The restaurant they were meeting in with the other couple wasn’t too far away. Roughly about four blocks from the apartment they’re sharing, and they had been sharing it for a while now. Since they left college. They both found each other studying science, she was majoring in Biology, he was majoring in Physics. Both were having troubles with their opposite subjects so they needed a tutor, and decided to teach each other. It was one of those cliché relationships. They would meet up frequently to study, gave each other notes. Then they started going out for coffee after class. And one day, while sitting in his room in campus, they were laughing at some of her fish puns. It was late at night, both were complaining about how hard their semester was. And while talking and laughing and allegedly studying, he kissed her. And since then they were together. A perfect couple, renting an apartment together, both working, she was going to swimming practices in the evenings and working as a babysitter on the weekends, and he was reading and writing in his free time.  
They were the first ones to arrive at the restaurant. So they were led to a table, their coats were taken and they ordered their drinks. They had a small table near the window overlooking the street. Candles were decorating and illuminating the rather dark dining room. Piano music was playing in the background, probably from some speaker in the hallway. It was a nice and calm place, the atmosphere was relaxing and quiet, perfect for settling down tense nerves from work earlier today.

Time passed, and even though they arrived quite early, Eridan was sure the other couple was late. There was no clock, but he just had a feeling about it. And he didn’t like it. If you make dinner plans with somebody, you should arrive on time. Or at least call that you’ll be late. This was very rude of them.  
Feferi, on the other hand, didn’t care. She didn’t even mention the time, nor how long they’ve been sitting at the table. She did notice Eridan getting bored, irritated that he couldn’t order anything before they came. He was hungry, they didn’t have a proper lunch today. She didn’t have time to make something after work, and he got right back to reading. So they settled with some tuna sandwiches.  
But finally, a waiter appeared and led a short woman, and a tall man, to their table.

The woman had a plump body, but wore a marvelous maroon dress that fit her so nicely. Her hair was wild, curly and all over the place. Around her neck there was a necklace with a birds skull on it, feathered wings behind it, which was a weird thing to wear to a fancy restaurant but she didn’t care. Her big eyes were outlined with a sharp eyeliner, her lips covered with scarlet lipstick. Her date was wearing a black suit. No jacket, just a navy blue shirt with a yellow bow tie. And red suspenders. It was a weird combination of colors, very flashy, but he didn’t seem to mind the attention and looks he was getting from around the restaurant. He also seemed very uninterested in this dinner, his hands in his pockets, eyebrows low, and an irritated expression. He was wearing glasses, oval ones, with a golden frame.  
Feferi quickly got up, rushed to the woman and gave her a tight hug. Then proceeded to do the same to the man. He was surprised by the gesture, but didn’t want to insult her by pushing her away. So he awkwardly moved his hands in the air and waited for her to turn to Eridan, which didn’t take long.  
Eridan got up and approached the couple. Feferi took the freedom to introduce them.

“This is Aradia, she works in the Paleontology department. And this is her boyfriend, Sollux.”  
Eridan gave them both a firm handshake, received an honest and wide smile from Aradia, and a gesture, that looked like an eye roll, from Sollux.  
They all sat down, the girls laughing and excitedly sharing some short story from work, while the guys sat in silence, Eridan awkwardly looking through the window, and Sollux going through the menu.

“So, what was your major?” Eridan decided to break the silence.

“Computer Software Engineering”, Sollux answered, not looking away from the menu. He talked with a bit of a lisp. Eridan didn’t say anything, he was trying to understand what that meant. It had something to do with computers, but more than that he didn’t get. Sollux noticed, looked up at him and raised his eyebrows when realizing that he didn’t understand it. He sighed and rolled his eyes, this time obviously.

“Programming, okay?” he explained, clearly frustrated by Eridan’s superficial knowledge.

This is going to be a fun night…


	2. Laughing and Bickering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dinner is progressing with some troubles. Mostly because Eridan doesn't feels uneasy about Sollux.  
> Aradia and Feferi are too deep into their conversation to notice anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some free time today and felt like I should write the next part.  
> Compared to my other work the chapters here seem so much smaller and easier to write.

As the dinner was progressing, Eridan was getting more convinced that he down right hated Sollux. It was something in the way he was talking, the way he would answer to his questions, the way he reacted to every single word he said. It was so uncomfortable, Sollux was making him feel like less of a person. Usually he wouldn’t be bothered, he would raise his voice and share a piece of his mind. But they were at a public place, and Feferi specifically stated how she wants him to behave. So he kept his mouth shut, trying to appear calm.

“So, how long have you two been together?” Aradia asked after Feferi and her had a lengthy talk about reptiles. It wasn’t really clear was their subject really about them since they used a lot of Latin names, then mentioned some professors in college, other students, and so on.

“Nearly 6 years now”, Feferi said proudly, giving her a light chuckle. She put her hand over Eridan’s, showing him affection.

“Wow! That’s a lot! And you’re still not engaged?”

Aradia’s question came really out of nowhere. Both Feferi and Eridan were stunned. They didn’t really think about marriage much. Feferi even less than Eridan, who was actually thinking about buying a ring someday. She didn’t even mention she wanted a wedding, never implied it by looking at dresses or going through catalogs of flowers.

“Well… I think we just want to give it a bit more time. It’s a big step, you know. And she doesn’t have time to deal with things like that right now, she is trying to get her PhD sometime soon”, Eridan explained but Feferi was still under a bit of a shock. Was she really focusing so much in her career that she forgot about her dream about getting married, living in a big house in the suburbs, having kids? But more importantly, did she make Eridan feel like she didn’t want to get married, that a wedding isn’t something she fantasized about?  
He lowered his hand, gently brushed his hand against her leg. She swallowed and gave him a confused look, but only caught him giving her a gentle smile. She knew he didn’t want her to worry about it, they’ll talk about it later. So she relaxed.

“Yes, I’ve been up to my knees in experiments. We’re researching autolysis, programmed cell death, and how to prevent it”, she continued excitedly.

“So basically, you’re working on creating the cure for aging, and making living beings immortal”, Aradia looked at her. Feferi nodded, and a Aradia gave her a great big smile.

“That is amazing!” she exclaimed, a bit too loud. Some people sitting next to them turned around. She blushed, apologizing for disturbing them.  
As they continued to talk about the immensely interesting theme of programmed cell death, death and life in general and how cool the skeletons of animals look like in the institution, Eridan and Sollux were left to each other again.

“So… Why’d you paint your nails?” Sollux asked, playing with his fork over the empty plate. He asked genuinely bored, not like he was mocking him, but out of curiosity. 

“Feferi said it would suit me”, he answered simply.

“That’s a thing you two do? Paint each other’s nails?” he glared at Eridan, this time his look was more judging. And Eridan noticed it, so he frowned, but almost unnoticeable.

“She paints my nails. Because I trust her fashion sense”, he explained, trying to keep his calm. He was fidgeting with the corner of the napkin left next to his plate.

“Oh, you’re that kind of guy.”

Eridan grinded his teeth, clenching his fingers to form fists. He was containing himself, trying to do his best at being friendly with this guy that just continues to make fun of him, judge him, and more importantly, judge Feferi.  
“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You know, the kind of guy that wears scarfs in his free time, drinks Starbucks and think he’s so artistic and hipster. Does stuff before they were cool.”

Eridan’s face became a dark shade of red. Sollux wasn’t wrong, he did like wearing scarf because they were a nice accessory. He did like going to Starbucks because frankly, the coffee there was pretty good. And about the art, yes, he did enjoy good art, and yes, he liked doing amateur photography in his free time, as well as going to art museums with his girlfriend. But who doesn’t like art? Art is something that makes a person question themselves, but also find comfort in it. Art is a thing that confuses and provokes, but brings peace to one’s soul.

“I don’t think you have the right to judge. A computer programmer who would rather stay at home and stay behind his laptop the whole day. The only social contact you have is probably with your girlfriend, and only when you aren’t ‘busy’.”

Eridan wasn’t completely wrong, and Sollux’s frown with a wild blood rush to his cheeks confirmed that. It was true that he did prefer staying alone at home, than going out and spending time with friends. And it was true that he spent more time being around his laptop than spending time with Aradia. And he realized that, right now when Eridan said it. It struck him deeply because he cared a lot about Aradia, and now it seemed like he was neglecting her. He should really go out with her more, and talk to her more. God, how stupid he was.

“Listen here dum…”, right when Sollux was about to say his insult, the waiter interrupted them. He was carrying a tray of food ordered a while back .The freshly-cooked meals smelled so good, to all of them. The girls quickly forgot what they were talking about, and the guys what they were fighting about. As the waiter served the plates, they realized everyone had different tastes. Feferi was a vegetarian, she ordered large plate of pasta with salmon. Eridan, not a vegetarian, but he preferred fish over meat, so he ordered shrimps with baked potatoes. Aradia ordered chicken breast with vegetables and mashed potatoes covered with gravy, and Sollux ordered pasta with vegetables. No wonder he was so thin if he ate like that.  
The food made them feel much better, they all started talking together. No more fighting, no more bickering and insulting. Sollux and Eridan actually laughed together at some jokes. Feferi asked Aradia if she could try some of her chicken, then Aradia tried some of Eridan’s shrimp and soon enough everybody was trying things from others’ plates. They ordered desserts afterwards, and did the same. Sollux wasn’t too happy about sharing his lava cake but Aradia persuaded him. They finished the whole evening with glasses of white wine. The dinner went nicely after all. They all talked about making further plans about meeting up, there were suggestions about going shopping, going to the movies, exploring the national park nearby.  
As they left the restaurant, the girls gave each other an honest hug, then proceeded to do the same with each other’s’ boyfriends. Sollux and Eridan decided to exchange a handshake, gave each other a smile, even though they still felt uneasy about each other. But they didn’t want to complain in front of their girlfriends.  
They parted late in the night, everyone going their own way back to their cars.

***

“Hey, Aradia asked us to go to the movies with her and Sollux on Saturday”, Feferi said during dinner. She just came from work, stayed longer to finish up on her experiments. Dark eye bags revealed just how tired she was, as well as her slow movements. Eridan was always worried that she’ll overwork herself, sometimes it affected her health and she would need to stay at home all week with a raging cold.

“Doesn’t… Doesn’t Sollux seem a bit odd to you”, he asked her, trying to avoid looking her in the eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“He just makes me uncomfortable”, Eridan made a worried grimace, pushing a piece of pasta with his fork.

“But you seemed to get along with him so nicely during the dinner”, she glanced at him, then took a sip of water from her glass.

“We didn’t… I don’t know Fef”, he sighed. She reached with her hand to his and gave him a smile.

“Just this time. And on Sunday we can stay at home and watch a movie together. Just you and me.”  
That seemed to make him feel better.

“I can’t say no to that”, he stood up and leaned over the table, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

“You should really get some sleep, you know?”


	3. Movie night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another double date, this time they decide to meet up at the cinema.  
> Aradia talks to Feferi during the movie which sudennly makes Feferi question her relationship with Eridan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though it's been about a week, I feel like I haven't been writting for quite some time now.  
> But the chapters are short, so I don't need a lot of time to finish them :)

The Saturday came soon enough. Aradia and Sollux were already waiting in front of the cinema. Aradia was holding the tickets in her hands, examining in which row and which seat they’re going to be at. Sollux was having a catalogue in his hands, reading through movies and what they’re about. He was clearly bored, loudly sighing.

“Sollux, please, why are you acting like this?”

“AA, you know I love you and I would go everywhere with you, but can’t we go somewhere alone?”

She laughs, putting the tickets in her wallet. She looked at him, pinched his cheek and winked.  
“You always want to be alone! Always in front of that computer! If you didn’t have me, you’d never go out of the house.”

He scoffed, stuck out his tongue. She started making faces, fiddling with his face. He didn’t move, just moved his eyebrows over his eyes, looking at her with an irritated face. But he wasn’t angry at her, she was just playfully teasing him.

“Uhm… Hey!” Feferi’s voice appeared behind them. Aradia turned to her.

“Feferi!!!” she yelled. Everyone nearby turned to them in shock, trying to figure out what the fuss is about. Aradia gave Feferi a tight hug, then proceeded to do the same with Eridan, but with less force. Eridan was still glancing at Sollux with a confused look on his face, but also with a slight smile. He was actually trying to suppress his laughter, because they just arrived before Sollux noticed them, meaning he saw him with his tongue sticking out, Aradia pinching his cheeks. Sollux was obviously angry at himself for letting Eridan see him like that, he wanted to keep an image of a collected guy, somebody serious.

The girls started walking next to each other, lively complimenting each other’s clothes, while the guys were left behind, hands in their pockets and walking in silence. There was a high tension between them, Sollux thinking about how stupid he must have looked and how foolish it was of him to act like a child in a public place, and Eridan planning how to use what he saw in his advantage. He was already plotting to make a fool of Sollux one day, of course, only if needed. He was still a grown up person, he won’t do something harmful to Sollux if he doesn’t provoke him.  
The theatre was quite full. The girls sat next to each other, guys on the outside, Eridan next to Feferi, Sollux next to Aradia. The movie they were watching was some action movie, the girls didn’t mind, actually they were the ones to suggest it. They weren’t really into chick flicks. Feferi only watched it sometimes, mainly when she was on her period, while Aradia preferred adventure movies with hints of romance, her favorite ones being the Indiana Jones series. Sollux would always watch with her, but preferred science fiction. And horrors. They both loved horrors. Eridan was a fantasy loving guy: Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings… That kind of stuff.

As the movie began, they started commenting on it. Sollux would always analyze the characters too much, making fun of their flaws and how they’re portrayed. He was on the verge of ruining the whole movie for them, until a part with different futuristic gadgets came on. He sudennly shut his mouth and started observing the machines, looking at the holograms and silently commenting on how they would work. Aradia rolled her eyes and turned to Feferi.

“He always does that. He’s working on holographic projections for some time now”, she chuckled, glanced at him when he noticed she was talking about him. He just frowned, turning back to the movie again.  
“Is he any close to making it?” Feferi asked, leaning forwards to look at his concentrated face.

“Ummmm… He doesn’t really talk about it to me”, she shrugged her shoulders.

“We don’t talk much about what we’re working on.”

Feferi realized it has been the same with Eridan and her. They would come home every day, talk about a few interesting things that happened, maybe plan something for the weekend, have dinner and go to bed. When she thinks about it, her life suddenly appears to be gray, as if every day it was raining outside, and they didn’t come out. She would be exhausted, he would be tired. They would sit in silence. God, were those moments really so common?  
She glanced at him, but he was too focused on the movie to notice her concerned look. Their relationship seemed so bland now, she can’t understand it. How can this little sentence, this small realization, affect her so much that she starts doubting if she really loves him? No, no - she did love him. She did.

“Hey Feferi, you okay?” Aradia asked her. Some people shushed her since she asked it a bit too loud.

“No… Yeah! I’m fine”, she gave her a bright smile, and turned to the screen again.

The movie was soon over and the bunch started commenting on the scenes, graphic effects, actors and best parts. The girls mostly discussed the male lead, who was a real charmer in the movie, swept all the women of their feet just by snapping his fingers. Eridan and Sollux simultaneously scoffed at the mention of his name. They were walking next to their girlfriends, so they were pretty far from one another. But that didn’t stop them from glancing at each other with arrogant faces.  
Feferi noticed that the Eridan’s grip on her arm got tighter. It wasn’t hurting her, she was confused by it. While talking to Aradia, she tried to comprehend what was going on between those two. They were both aggressive towards each other, but she just couldn’t understand why. They had a lot more in common than they thought. So why all this fuss?  
As they reached the exit, they parted, Aradia and Sollux waving goodbye as they left to find their car. Feferi and Eridan were unusually quiet. They did talk about some things, superficial things, not something that made them smile, or laugh. They looked on forwards, through the windows of the car, passing through dark streets.

***

Friday night. It has almost been a week since they went to the movies. Feferi and Eridan were lying on the couch and watching a movie, ‘Pirates of The Caribbean’ to be exact. They were silently munching on popcorn, Feferi laying in-between Eridan’s legs, leaning onto his warm chest.  
She couldn’t help but think about how she felt in the cinema a week ago. It was bothering her so much that she couldn’t concentrate on her job. She would forget about her experiments, timers set up around the lab, even getting to lunch. Sometimes she would just look at the clock and see that it has already passed 4 pm, which was the time she was usually already in her car, getting out of the parking lot. This was strange for her, she felt like something went terribly wrong but everything was still the same. She still cared for him, she still enjoyed his company. But what about the future? Did she really want to stay with him for the rest of her life? It was so frustrating, and it was making her sad. She felt responsible for these feelings, she felt like she was using him for something, and that made her feel horrible. Her hopes that it would just go away were a failure.

“Eridan?”

“Hmm?” he asked paying more attention to the movie, than her. There was a battle scene coming up.

“Do you think…”, she stopped. The thing she was about to say was harmful, could affect their relationship more than she wants. But the question was twisting in her head for so long.

“That we are meant for each other?” she swallowed as she felt him shifting beneath her. She turned to him, saw his confused, but also concerned face.

“Well… Uhm… I don’t know Fef, I think we are?” he wasn’t unsure. Actually, he was too sure in his answer, it made him anxious about her response. If she thinks differently, then… He doesn’t even know what happens then. What could happen? They break up? But… He never thought about breaking up with her. It didn’t cross his mind. She never gave him a reason to think about the end of it.  
She looked at her hands, turned back to the front. It seemed like she was trying to hide her expression, which seemed sad in a way, deep in her thoughts.

“I think so too”, his heart skipped a beat as he heard her say those four simple words. He took a deep breath, but she interrupted him before he could say anything else.

“But don’t you think… We’ve been drifting apart? Just slowly. We’ve been doing the same things every single day. Nothing has changed since college. I feel like we talk less”, he could see the tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. She was trying to hide it, fiddling with her hands. He laid a hand on her cheek, leaned closer to her and gave her a long, affectionate kiss on the top of her head, her long hair silky to the touch of his lips.

“I think we’ve been closer than ever before”, he answered. She smiled, his gentle hands were around her. He wasn’t lying, and she believed him.  
But something deep within her made her doubt her feelings toward him.


End file.
